Digital publisher claims right to children's book

Published
12:00 am EST, Friday, February 17, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) -- A digital publisher being sued by HarperCollins over an electronic edition of Jean Craighead George's award-winning "Julie of the Wolves" has filed a statement in federal court saying it had "secured all necessary e-book rights."

On Dec. 23, HarperCollins sued Open Road Digital Media in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that it owned electronic rights to George's children's story, published in 1972 and winner of the prestigious Newbery medal. In response, Open Road said that HarperCollins was attempting to "seize rights that were never granted." In a separate statement, the 92-year-old George said that since e-books did not exist 40 years ago, she could not have possibly granted digital rights.

Publishers have long disagreed with authors and agents over e-rights to older books.